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Plant babies waiting to be adopted Photo: Los Angeles Flower Market |
5 more places to discover horticulture havens in the City of Angels.
1) LOS ANGELES FLOWER MARKET
Founded in 1921, the
Los Angeles Flower Market (754 Wall St, Los Angeles 90014) is located in the heart of the Downtown LA Flower District - the largest wholesale floral district in the country.
Open to the trade and the general public, the five-acre Market features a 55,000 square-foot main floor with 50 vendors offering more than 125 different varieties of cut flowers, along with an impressive portfolio of related foliage and floral accessories. A pioneer of sustainability, the Market installed rooftop solar panels to all eight of its interconnected main buildings in 2011.
2) LOST BOOKS
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Plant tunnel at Lost Books
Photo: @doitwithwilly, Instagram |
If you’re wondering why a bookstore is featured in a gardeners’ guide, you’ll find the answer the moment you step into
Lost Books (2233 Honolulu Ave, Montrose 91020). That's because you enter through an incredible plant tunnel comprising 365 specimens of Swedish ivy, spider plants, live moss, bird’s nest ferns and more, made even more magical by embedded twinkling lights. Any déjà vu is due to Lost Books being the sister store to
The Last Bookstore in Downtown LA, famed for its Instagram-ready book tunnel. Lost Books is the brainchild of Jenna Spencer, wife of Last Bookstore owner Josh Spencer. She enlisted Yuko, proprietor of Yuko Kitchen (across from The Last Bookstore) to craft the plant tunnel - Jenna admired that eatery’s prodigious gathering of hanging plants.
In March 2024, Lost Books hosted none other than
Oprah, who interviewed Lara Love Hardin, author of her Book Club selection, The Many Lives of Mama Love.
3) MICKEY HARGITAY PLANTS
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| Photo: Mickey Hargitay Plants |
Mickey Hargitay Plants (1255 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles 90038) is a full-service nursery specializing in indoor tropicals, cactus, and succulents, along with spadefuls of enthusiasm and advice. If the name sounds familiar, Mickey Hargitay is the son of the eponymous actor/Mr. Universe and screen legend Jayne Mansfield, and brother to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay. While his kin reached for the stars, Mickey Jr. kept his feet on – and sometimes in – the ground. Evolving out of an earlier business selling then-trendy macramé, he opened his first store in Echo Park in 1980 and is now in a converted bungalow on Fountain and North Sycamore - a fixture amidst an otherwise much-changed Hollywood.
4) OPENAIRE - LINE LA
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| Openaire at LINE LA | Photo: Openaire |
Occupying a former atrium atop Koreatown’s ultra-hip
LINE LA hotel, chef Josiah Citrin’s
Openaire restaurant (3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90010) serves seasonal dishes with touches of Asian flare amidst greenhouse-like surrounds draped in hanging plants. This airy escape features the fragrant likes of rose geranium and Jerusalem jasmine in baskets overhead, with the cascading greenery continuing onto its stunning poolside patio, with views of soaring surrounding skyscrapers. Opened by the Michelin-starred Citrin in 2018, Openaire is definitely pricey. But for foodies who also love foliage, its unique setting is worth considering for special occasions, or just for a break from the concrete and steel amidst a stellar collection of plants.
5) THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET
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Succulents by Dewy Flowers
Photo: The Original Farmers Market |
The Original Farmers Market has welcomed generations of visitors and locals alike to "Meet Me at 3rd & Fairfax" since 1934. The landmark open-air marketplace features more than 100 produce stands, specialty foods, and retail shops - many merchants have been family-owned and operated at the Market for decades.
Dewy Flowers - located on the Market Plaza next to Marmalade Cafe, specializing in terrarium plants in various sizes and shapes as well as fresh cut flowers.
WildFlora - floral design expert Alexandra Scholtz specializes in stunning floral arrangements while also offering a wide variety of plants, gifts and home decor.
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